Calendar

Each year June through September every day at 11 am Bellaboo’s outdoor garden is tended to by YOU! Foster a love of gardening in your little one with these fun activities. The flowers and vegetable garden at Bellaboo’s is planted, showered and loved completely by kids! Each day little diggers will feature garden songs, worm digs and eco-friendly information that young minds can dig their shovels into!

Our friends of Challenger Learning Center will join us for some hands-on, minds-on science FUN! Astronaut Flight Directors will lead a space exploration the whole family can enjoy!

Crafts as you learn about the different cloud types, and bring a blanket for some cloud gazing. What do you see in the sky? Program is designed for children ages 10 and under along with their families. Check out our other Summer in the Park programs happening every Wednesday from June 13th - August 8!

Designed just for kids ages 2-6 along with their grown-up this series of playdates invites visitors get out and explore all their different Lake County Parks. Parks and their playdates: March 16 @ Three Rivers/Bellaboos (outside), April 20 @ Gibson Woods, May 18 @ Deep River, June 15 @ Buckley Homestead, July 20 @ Gibson Woods, August 17 @ Oak Ridge Prairie (gate fee waived but must be pre-registered).

Make the most of your long summer evening and golf under the stars. Each Friday throughout the summer we'll flip the lights on and keep the driving range and mini golf open until 10 PM. Beat the heat of the day and enjoy the cool evening outdoors having fun with the whole family.

Here it comes again! Join us for the 5 Miler run at Buckley Homestead. Runners start off running on Belshaw road and will eventually running throughout the pioneer farm itself. The race is a unique and picturesque challenge for runners .The event will be Saturday, July 21 starting check-in at 6 am and the race starting at 7:30.

Bring the family to walk the trails with a park naturalist at Gibson Woods and learn about the oak savanna and its inhabitants. Join us each month to experience nature’s fascinating flora and fauna as the seasons change. Happening every third Saturday in March-November at 9:30 am. Program is free but registration is required, call 219-844-3188.

The Deep River Grinders vintage baseball team invites you to their upcoming match! Played by 1858 rules complete with traditional uniforms, Grinders’ games provide a fun look at how baseball when it first started out. Bring the whole family out for the free match to enjoy some old-fashioned baseball. Stick around after the match as kids can take a turn at bat and run the bases. This week’s friendly competitors: Ohio Village Muffins AND Chicago Salmon. This game will have three shorter games beginning at 11:00 AM

Gibson Woods is home to 23 documented species of dragonflies, as well as many butterflies. This year’s hikes will include a focus on butterflies as we walk each Tuesday from May 29-September 25 to find out who is flitting about. This adult program is free but registration is required, call 219-844-3188.

Learn how our miller grinds cornmeal, and race him to see if you can make cornmeal faster! Who will win? Program is designed for children ages 10 and under along with their families. Check out our other Summer in the Park programs happening every Wednesday from June 13th - August 8!

This slime, scales, and shell stroll is more than just a tongue twister! We’ll learn about all the cool adaptations turtles, snakes, frogs, and toads have made to suit their unique lifestyles. All different types of these critters have made homes in Gibson Woods and on our stroll through the park we’ll hopefully spot a few!

We’ll be exploring the region looking for local dragonflies. For this hunt, we will meet at Grand Kankakee Marsh in the main parking lot (on west side of road before bridge). Explorers are welcome to bring binoculars and/or a camera. Please pre-register by calling Gibson Woods at 219-844-3188. Cost is $2 per person.

Make the most of your long summer evening and golf under the stars. Each Friday throughout the summer we'll flip the lights on and keep the driving range and mini golf open until 10 PM. Beat the heat of the day and enjoy the cool evening outdoors having fun with the whole family.

Enjoy a guided hike alongside a Lake County Parks Naturalist. The evening sunset is especially beautiful at Oak Ridge Prairie, and the park has unique vistas where you can see the full moon rising. Gate fee applies.

Have a fun-filled evening of enjoying local brews and listening to local bands in the barn at Buckley Homestead. More information to come!

Gibson Woods is home to 23 documented species of dragonflies, as well as many butterflies. This year’s hikes will include a focus on butterflies as we walk each Tuesday from May 29-September 25 to find out who is flitting about. This adult program is free but registration is required, call 219-844-3188.